Holiday Traditions

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

wittdog

Master Chef
Joined
Apr 8, 2006
Messages
9,860
Location
West Seneca NY
What kind of traditions do you guys have for the Holidays….we have a few…When we decorate the tree I bake a batch of my Grandmas Molasses cookies and we start decorating. Also, every year we try to get some new ornaments that commemorate something that happened that year, or what the boys favorite toy/ thing to do that year. When we put the ornaments up it’s like taking a walk down memory lane…and when the boys are grown up they can take there memories (ornaments) with them. When my oldest was born for Xmass my Aunt bought me a book of xmass stories, with a nice note telling how my Uncle reads the story to his kids who now are grown and she hoped that I would do that with my boys every year and I have. Xmass day is a pajama day…Blueberry Muffins for breakfast…an open door policy (everyone is welcome for a drink or for food)…The last few years I’ve been curing and smoking a fresh ham for xmass along with the homemade Polish Sausage.
Last year I photoshopped a pic of Santa near our tree and printed it out for the boys to find in the am :LOL:
 
Our traditions are changing quickly due to family members getting older and others passing away.

In the past we'd set up the artificial tree on the 1st of December (we're still doing it tonight). Every year dad makes what we call Christmas sausage (mainly pork, pearl barley, onions and marjoram) we bake them in the oven covered with a few strips of bacon and eat it with lingonberry jam. Christmas Eve the family would go to church and then have Christmas dinner with my dad's mom and step father, afterwards we'd open our presents. Christmas Day we'd go to my grandmothers on my mom's side for Christmas dinner #2.

Things are up in the air this year, Christmas sausage is made, tree is going up but venues are iffy.
 
My family tradition as a young whuppersnapper was my dearly departed Daddy getting drunk as a skunk on whiskey and him and my dearly departed Mama always have a big fight. Now he did let me shoot my brand new Santa delivered pellet gun through the front door a few times one Christmas eve..so you could get some mileage outta the deal sometimes. If it wasnt for wimmen there wouldnt be no Christmas.

bigwheel
 
Dinner on Christmas eve together with my whole family at my folks house (Usually my homemade sausage with peppers, onions, tomatos and peppers), then we exchange gifts between dinner and midnight mass. Christmas day is brunch at my house with my family, the wifes family and some speciel friends. In the early afternoon we play the gift exchange game where everyone brings a gift (unlabled) and we draw numbers. Number 1 picks a gift from the pile. Number 2 can either pick a gift from the pile or steal number 1's gift...and so on....Usually a great time. Christmas evening is usually spent on the couch after eating and drinking to much (in a good way). This year will be the first Christmas without my Dad, so Im sure there will be some bittersweet moments...But the family will be together and we will have each other...
 
Like John this year will be very bittersweet without my Mom and my Uncle who passed away last week.

We usually do up a ton of fun appetizers on Christmas eve and socialize with family and friends. Christmas Am is always about the kids and Santa of course. I have cooked the last few years our family meal. One smoked turkey one oven turkey (my mom never like smoked turkey) this year I will have to do something I have never done before and that is to make the gravy. My mom always did it.

Also this year my only Brother is not going to be with us for the very first time. He is going to celebrate Christmas with his girlfriends family in Quebec.

It sucks this year. I am sure it will get better in the future.


It is going to be really difficult.
 
Settin up a aluminum xmass tree & drinking beer & tuning it to pick up radio free europe :LOL:
 
007bond-jb said:
Settin up a aluminum xmass tree & drinking beer & tuning it to pick up radio free europe :LOL:

Fond memories from years ago. I hope you still have the red,green and yellow spinning light to set next to it.

Those were all outlawed for some reason. After the house burned down Grandma stopped that tradition.



(The house really didn't burn down)
 
After several Xmases spent overseas in the Army, the spark of spirit has been dimmed a bunch. Never really got it back. But I do like seeing everyone having fun.
 
Back
Top Bottom